- The Evil Queen -

During the next days, the castle was in a chaotic state. The servants aided the knights in cleaning up and repairing the damages the building and the walls had suffered during the fight. They worked hard to restore the capital and the castle to their former glory, and their dedication paid off.

Amidst the chaos, the former royal advisor cowardly tried to flee the castle, but he was spotted by a knight and seized, brought to the prison cells where he would await his trial. Baekhyun had not forgotten about his betrayal and he would make sure that Wang would be punished accordingly. His actions had nearly led to the Queen’s death, a crime that warranted the death sentence according to Lux’s law. He would receive a trial just like Sol’s Queen. It would be held within a few days, and neither Baekhyun nor Soomi looked forward to it.

They had yet to recover from the damages they had sustained, both mentally and physically. Baekhyun’s wounds thankfully were healing as they should since Soomi made sure to keep an eye on him. She didn’t let him do any tasks that were strenuous and told him to rest as long as he could. He didn’t want her to worry about him, so he listened to her and complied with her wishes.

However, she wasn’t the only one who was overly worried about Baekhyun’s injuries—his mother Younghee was very concerned about his health as well. She had been held captive by Sungho with other nobles who had refused to surrender to him. For the longest time, Soomi had been unaware of her fate, and she had been very relieved to learn that her mother-in-law was alive. Now that the dust had settled, Younghee often paid visits to Baekhyun and made sure that Soomi’s pregnancy was going well.

After the situation in the capital had been brought under control, the royals had held a speech in front of the citizens of the capital, the nobles, and all the servants. It had ended in cheers, and the people’s relief had been palpable. The people had celebrated together, even including Caelum’s knights in the festivities. After Caelum had aided Lux in defeating Sol, the attitude of Lux’s citizens towards the neighboring kingdom had shifted considerably in its favor. Soomi had a good feeling about this and was confident that relations between the kingdoms would prosper from now on.

Things had gone very well for them—and perhaps this was a sign that the storm was finally over.

Currently, Caelum’s army resided in the capital’s countless inns, the knights recovering from their injuries. They would stay for a few days before they went on the journey home. Soomi and Baekhyun had assured that they were well accommodated—it was the least they could do to thank them. Since Taehyung and his royal guard were staying in the castle, she was able to see her brother whenever she wanted, and Soomi used this opportunity to spend time with him after everything else had been handled.

She had been dying to hear about what had happened to him and Baekhyun while they had been separated, and they agreed to finally tell her this same afternoon. They met in the King’s study where they had tea and sat around a table.

“Will you explain now?” she asked impatiently, holding her hot teacup in hand as her gaze moved from her brother to her husband. “You can’t keep this a secret forever! I want to know everything.”

“Of course,” Taehyung said, making a calming gesture with his hands. “Before Lee’s trial, you need to be aware of everything that happened.”

“That’s right, it’s going to be held in a few days,” she muttered. They had decided for the trial to take place at Lux’s castle since Taehyung was here and would represent Caelum throughout it. Soomi would soon see the evil Queen for the first time, and part of her was dreading it. What kind of terrible person was this woman?

“Where do we even start?” Baekhyun sighed, leaning back in his seat. He wore his elaborate golden crown atop his blond hair, the bruises on his face having faded. In his regal clothing, he appeared completely fine, as if nothing ever happened, but Soomi knew that appearances could be deceiving. His most severe injuries hadn’t healed yet.

“First of all, you should know that it’s a violent story,” Taehyung warned her, an unusually serious expression on his face. “Many people died, unfortunately. We did all we could to preserve lives, but in the end, we couldn’t save everyone.”

She nodded, not having expected anything else. They exchanged another glance before Baekhyun began to tell her what had happened the day Caelum’s and Lux’s armies had united.

Fog rose from the grass-covered ground. It was muddy since it had rained for hours during the night. The sky was covered in clouds, a strong breeze sweeping through the nearby trees.

The leather covering the hilt of Baekhyun’s sword was wet and slippery from the downpour. He held the weapon in a tight grip, narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the situation. It looked bad for him and his knights. They had already lost too many men, were outnumbered and trapped. Stuck in a valley, they faced Sol’s army head-on. Turning back was not an option as it would allow the enemy to head towards the capital and he could not let that happen.

Baekhyun had yet to spot Sol’s crown prince, assuming that he was too much of a coward to take part in a real fight. The army was led by high-ranking nobles Baekhyun had never seen before, and frankly, he didn’t care who they were. His mind was focused on a change in strategy—he needed to come up with a plan in order to save his knights, but there wasn’t much they could do. With limited numbers, more or less trapped between two mountains and Sol’s devastatingly large army, they wouldn’t be able to hold their ground for long.

Baekhyun had been fighting for hours already, striking down countless enemies. His heart grew heavier every time he saw the light fade from another person’s eyes. He was tiring, had suffered injuries, and as it was right now, he wouldn’t hold out for long.

His shoulder was bleeding from an earlier attack, the wound putting a strain on the arm with which he carried his sword. It put him at a disadvantage, had his hope dwindling. As of right now, he could no longer fight with his full strength. Desperation gnawed at him, but he wouldn’t give up, and he prayed that Caelum would arrive in time to tip the scales. They were in dire need of support.

His royal guard had assembled around him. The seven knights did all they could to prevent anyone from reaching him. Since he was the King, he was the main target of his enemies, so they focused their attacks on him. Baekhyun had been driven into a corner, and had it not been for his loyal friends, he would be dead already. They fought doggedly and held Sol’s knights at bay. Their line of defense wouldn’t hold forever, though.

Surrounded by countless knights, both allies and enemies, all Baekhyun heard were screams. It was a terrifying noise.

“It can’t end like this,” he breathed, clutching the bleeding wound on his shoulder tightly. He moved to help the royal guard, but Junmyeon shot him a scalding look when he noticed.

“Stay where you are! We can’t protect you if you don’t,” he yelled.

When had it come so far that he couldn’t even help his own comrades anymore? He felt useless, the panic building within him preventing him from thinking of a better strategy. His frantic eyes fell on the body of a fallen knight, wandered on to a discarded weapon lying in the mud. Dark blood stained the ground. He was surrounded by death, and if nothing changed, he wouldn’t return to Soomi alive.

And just when he reached the lowest point, his hope dwindling, it was reignited. He heard a loud sound. Like thunder, it echoed through the valley. Turning around, he gazed at the meadows behind them, and what he saw made his eyes widen. It was another army, wearing the blue colors of Caelum. Its knights were on horseback and neared Lux’s army quickly. One person rode at the front, closely followed by six knights.

“They’re here,” Baekhyun breathed in disbelief. Then, he raised his voice, yelling, “Caelum is here!”

Everyone standing in the near vicinity heard him, and the message soon traveled through the ranks of the knights like a tidal wave. On Lux’s side, it was met with relief and newfound fighting spirit. On Sol’s side on the other hand, it was cause for panic, significantly lowering the morale of the knights.  Within minutes, Calum’s and Lux’s armies united, blue mixing with gold. It was an amazing sight, and Baekhyun could hardly fathom that he would fight alongside Caelum.

Taehyung made his way to the group, stopping his horse next to Baekhyun. He hopped off its back, approaching him with a fierce look in his eyes.

“Just in time,” Baekhyun said, gratefulness swimming in his gaze. Taehyung allowed a brief smile to show on his lips.

“We will fight as allies from now on,” the prince replied. “For Caelum, Lux, and for my sister.”

Soomi was anxious by the time Baekhun ended his explanation. Concerned, she shot him a long look. “I didn’t know you almost died that day,” she whispered in shock.

“It was a close call. I owe my life to him,” Baekhyun said, glancing at Taehyung who smiled proudly.

“We came as fast as we could after your messenger arrived at the castle. I’m glad I chose to bring horses. We barely had enough for the entire army,” he explained.

“Sol didn’t count on Caelum supporting us, so they were taken by surprise,” Baekhyun added. “We won eventually after many tiring days of battle and defeated Sol. Since the kingdom was left defenseless, we moved on to its castle to imprison their Queen. Only then we found out that Sungho had bypassed us to take over Lux’s castle.”

Taehyung’s expression darkened. He glared at the table, crossing his arms. “That damn coward,” he muttered.

Baekhyun frowned, biting down on his lower lip. “I was very worried once I heard th